Really cold bedroom and condensation

[MotherOfRatios]

Hi!
I bought a doer-uper earlier this year and I've done a lot of repairs but one thing I haven't yet done is repair the windows or radiators.
but in the bedroom, I don't use. I noticed some mould on the skirting board this morning I have since removed it but the wall was really cold and had condensation my wall in my bedroom that I use sometimes just get cold but not as cold as that back bedroom. I haven't got round to renovate that room yet.

But I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks to prevent? It's a really cold room, but it does face the wind. I turn my heating on when it gets to 17 and heat the home until it's 20 (naturally I prefer a cooler home)

it's a 1960s flat

Thanks

Potentially as well as the window being blown in there. The whole house has the type of radiators as well where there's no thermostat on the radiator so if you turn the heating on all the radiators go on and I did get a plumber out to enquire about having the valves fitted but he said just save the money into all new radiators in the house he said they were quite old and didn't work there well.

We used to have a room like this and the electric heater Judt lived in there really, switched it on for a while in the morning and the evening, opened windows dried everything off, it became like a hobby😅

I think that sounds like a good idea. Condensation (moisture) is about temperature differences, and ventilation. Mould is just dust dirt that likes to grow near condensation points which are often around cold spot in a room. However, if the problem is caused by water ingress from a leak or dodgy gutter etc etc, then you need to fix the way the water is ingressing into the property.
Keep an eye on it as you start to use/vent the room more and give it good clean now and again. It sounds as though it might be a newish flat.
I also meant to say cracks in the exterior RENDER of the building and not exterior plaster! Soz.

If you’ve opened the window in this weather ( assume U.K.) and then you close it and put the heating on you are exacerbating the problem. The cold air will heat and condense with warm air holding more moisture.
Better to leave the door to that room open and avoid extreme temps in that space

Use a timed dehumidifier for now and get a double glazed window fitted
Buy a dehumidifier that can be set to go on if the room exceeds a set %. Ours is set at 50% humidity atm and another room at 45% ( because it’s got books in ). They are not expensive to run.

Mould is just dust dirt

Er, no. Mould is fungus.

I won't put the heating on immediately I'll obviously only put it on if I feel cold but yes I have noticed a difference since having the window open. The wall has definitely dried out in most places.
I will also look at getting a dehumidifier

Double glazed windows are in place across all the property. It's just the upstairs the glass has blown, I did get a window man out and he told me to try and wait until summer because they charge more in winter

I've just purchased a 20 litre compressor dehumidifier from ElectriQ. Absolutely amazing! I paid about £145

Edit - purchased from Appliances Direct if that help

Tbf he would say that
Old rads can have thermostats added. Some may need connectors if the pipe size is different

Yes new rads are more efficient but removal and installation obv more expensive especially if your house has the very old smaller pipe size

I weighed up the cost and by the time that I've faffed around getting specialist things I might as well just had new radiators installed that are much more efficient as well

I've got a Phillips one in my Amazon basket I possibly want something under £100 especially as it's close to Christmas so it's an expensive month

I had this issue, but it’s my bedroom so it obviously got more condensation. This is my 4th winter in this flat and fingers crossed I’ve finally solved it, mainly by not letting the temperature go below a certain level (thermostat set to 17 when we’re not home and overnight), and by stripping the mouldy areas and treating with a specialist antimould treatment and antimould paint which slightly warms the wall. I also have a dehumidifier which I use in a different room (where I dry clothes in winter) which helps generally manage moisture. Like a PP said, it’s almost a hobby now. I looked at various insulation methods but they all have their negatives, especially on a solid wall build with concrete floors like I’m in (1920s).

Yeah, I think it might need some anti-mould paint I would be less hesitant to put the heating on if all the radiators had valves on because then I could put the heating on and the radiators could be on lower everywhere else in the house but slightly warmer in that room but because I can't control the heating of each room, it means that if the heating is on and I'm warm I then start to feel sick so I only put it on when I'm cold which probably isn't helping the problem.

Yes - you are right, but for the fungus to arrive within the building it is airborn as spores contained within dust/dirt. The spores await the perfect conditions to grow and spread.

Best to go 20 litres unless it's a very small room and then 12 litres will be fine

You can fit a double bed and chest of drawers in the room and have enough space to sit on the floor it's not huge, but it's not a box room

I have a 60s flat with tile hung exterior walls and the kids bedroom in particular is a condensation/mould nightmare. I air the room with the window locked ajar and run a dehumidifier for about 3-4 hours on school days.

If you are sure it's not a structural thing and just a cold wall thing, you can get insulating lining paper which I have used with some success in my dining room.

Go as large a dehumidifier as you can afford but I'd say a 12L would be ok for that room with the door shut

It's completely fine in summer and September/october it's only in November. I've started to notice that wall is really really cold. It was fine in March this year

I think that maybe the cavity wall might have failed as in the cavity has been breached by something? If the glass in the windows has blown, you can just change the glass rather than the whole window. It's loads cheaper.

I the mean time I would just keep the bedroom door open a bit and keep an eye on it. It seems a lot of money to buy a dehumidifier when you will only need it for a couple of months. You might even be able to get the window glass replaced for a couple of hundred so the money. Could go towards that.

Do the gutters look OK? Any staining on the wall?

I can't see in the gutters it mentioned in the survey about cavity wall insulation had failed but he didn't look at it from upstairs. He looked at from downstairs outside my front door and he said it wouldn't be an issue the surveyor

I'd get someone to fit insulating plasterboard on the external wall.
You lose an inch or 2 in room space, but so worth it
We had this in a small bedroom and bathroom in an 1850's cottage and that (and new windows) sorted the problem.
We did get a decent dehumidifier to help too, but the main thing was those walls not being so cold.

Also used dulux kitchen and bathroom paint with 'mold-tec' in this rooms. Great stuff.
Tried the cheaper b&q versions and it was pants.

Other things to help are having windows open when cooking/showering and keeping lids on pans when cooking.
Anything to reduce the level of moisture in the house.

Definitely a dehumidifier as its a multi use thing in any case, it obviously is right for this use, but you can also dry washing, cheaper than running a tumble dryer and also not everything should go in a dryer, it also warms the room up too.

If you're doing any more refurb it will dry paint and plaster etc etc

First post nails it. It will get rid of the condensation, plus heat the room up.

I've got no window in my bathroom, but I don't get steam in there at all. The fan is really good.